Choices
by The-Slayer-And-Key-Of-Dagon
Summary: Choices. Most of our life is based on our choices. Chapin didn't expect that she would turn out the way she did, but as she stared into the mirror, barely able to recognize the person in front of her, she wondered how she got here. She knew the answer though. It always led back to that night. That night she made that one choice. PRE-MOVIE (Basically the back story to the movie).
1. Chapter 1

_She is everywhere I go_

_Everyone I see_

_Winter's gone _

_And I still can't sleep._

* * *

><p><strong>December 15, 2008.<strong>

Chapin felt an immense amount of fear as she walked up to Scared Heart's main entrance. With every step she took up the steps to the building, her heart pounded harder and harder against her chest. It had only been eighteen hours since the announcement of Stacey St. Clair's death, and all she could think about was her.

As she strolled through the corridors, she nervously glanced around the halls for the others, others meaning the girls who had also played the game that night. She knew that they were probably trying to find her, and that was something she did not want to happen. Facing the reality of her actions was hard enough without being scrutinized by her fellow peers, but as if fate was out to get her, she turned the left corner to of the hallway only to find Ashley Cuevas and Jessica Roberts, two of the girls who had been there.

Chapin, for as nonchalant as she appeared, was on the verge of an anxiety attack when Ashley and Jessica stalked over to her. If circumstances had been different, she probably would have felt slightly less anxious yet still intimidated. Ashley and Jessica were seniors at the school and well-known for their spots on the varsity soccer team. Before Stacey died, the three of them were sort of the ring leaders of the school. They appeared nice and sweet on the outside, but they could be vicious and ruthless if they wanted to. It was perfectly understandable for Chapin to be worried.

"Come with us." Ashley demanded.

"W-Why?" Chapin stammered, clutching her book bag tightly. "Class is about to start."

"Come with us or I'm dragging you by the roots of your freaking hair." Ashley threatened. One look at the girl's steely stare told Chapin that she should listen, so she followed them through the long corridors of the school. They came up to the music room, which was only used after school.

_"They're going to kill me, aren't they?"_ Chapin fearfully thought. She tried to think up of fighting techniques and escape strategies as she followed them into the room, but she stopped when she saw the remaining three girls from that night sitting in the music chairs on the left side of the room. Sarah Dylan and Taylor Collins were both giving her a nervous look. Mallory Silvers, however, was glaring at everyone in general.

"We have some things that need to be discussed." Ashley started, giving everyone what Chapin liked to call "a superiority overdose" look.

"Oh really? I thought this was a tea party." Chapin muttered while leaning against the wall. She knew that it was probably better to keep her mouth shut, but her smart ass remarks couldn't be held back.

"Shut it Wright," Ashley snapped and started towards her, "or I'll make you."

"Ashley, calm down!" Jessica chided and pulled her friend back, something which Chapin was grateful for. Adding a brawl to her list of never-ending problems was probably not a good idea.

"No!" Ashley shouted and pulled away from her friend. "You can't tell me that you aren't ready to strangle this little nitwit for getting us into this mess!"

Chapin tried not to react to the comment. She wanted to seem impassive towards everything, but in actuality, she felt sick to her stomach as she took in their expressions. They all agreed with Ashley.

"Take a chill pill!" Jessica reprimanded. "We have bigger issues to deal with instead of the blame game, like figuring out what to do about the Stacey thing."

"What do you mean figuring out what to do?" Mallory spoke up for the first time. "We need to tell someone about what happened."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." Taylor disagreed.

"Come on Taylor! You can't be serious!" Sarah exclaimed. "I mean, it's not like it was our fault. Stacey jumped because of Chapin."

"Hey!" Chapin shouted with an unexpected force, surprising even herself. She could feel her hands trembling from anger. "I didn't make her jump! She did that on her own!"

"You dared her!" Ashley declared. "You _are_ responsible!"

"What about you all? Haven't you heard of the term negligence? You didn't stop her from jumping. Instead, you let her go without a second thought. Even after everything happened, you didn't say anything to the cops. Add not reporting a death to a negligence charge, and I bet you wouldn't be getting those acceptance letters from your colleges."

Chapin honestly didn't know if what she said was true or not. She was mostly going off stuff that she had learned in Law Related Studies, but judging by the expressions on all the girls' faces, it must have sounded convincing.

"We thought she was faking it!" Ashley tried to defend them all, even though she looked doubtful. "That she was trying to scare us!"

"Then why didn't you tell then cops on Sunday morning when the news went out?" Chapin shot back.

"You're not going to scare me into changing my mind. The cops are going to know what you did, and then the whole town will realize what kind of person you really are." Ashley's eyes gleamed threateningly down at her.

"Ashley," Jessica spoke up after a moment, "I think we should listen to her."

"Are you serious?" Ashley whirled around on her best friend. Her eyes were widen in disbelief.

"Think about what she is saying." Jessica tried to explain herself. "The cops already think it was a suicide, and if we tell the truth, we could end up losing our scholarships."

Chapin held her breath as she watched the two girls stare at each other. Her heart pounded as she wait for the blonde girl's response.

"Fine." Ashley reluctantly caved." As much as I want to see you pay for what you did, Jessica's right. Telling the cops would only cause more trouble than good. What's happened is already done, and we can't change that. All we can do is pretend like we weren't there."

"You are all insane!" Mallory exclaimed, startling everyone in the room. "This isn't something you can just look past!"

"Listen Baldie!" Ashley sneered. "I have a four-year soccer scholarship to the University of Virgina, and I think a little incident like this is enough to get me kick off the team, possibly even school, so you might want to think twice before blabbing your mouth, and that goes for everyone. Got it?"

No one spoke out against her. A few moments of silence passed before Ashley spoke again.

"Good. We weren't there, and that's it." The girls nodded their heads and began to leave the music room. Chapin went to follow behind them, but she was jerked backwards.

"Wait up Wright. We're not done here." Ashley's freshly painted nails pressed into her upper forearm, causing Chapin to slightly yelp. "You may have gotten away with it, but I'm going to make sure that you get what you deserve."

Jessica, who was standing right behind her friend, glared down at Chapin. A sadistic grin formed on her face as she stepped towards her.

"And it's going to make you wish that you had been the one who died."

Chapin couldn't help but feel intimidated by the older girls and their threat, but her stubbornness kept her from faltering under their heated glares. She gave a sly smirk before tugging her right arm away from Ashley's grasp.

"I need to get to class." Her voice was firm, almost as if it embodied the power to take down anyone in her way. She gave one last glance as she walked out of the music room. As she made her way to class, she couldn't help but think about what exactly they planned to do to her.

* * *

><p><strong>December 18, 2008.<strong>

The following three days after the confrontation were tense for Chapin. She could barely sleep in fear of nightmares, and when she did fall asleep, she would wake up in cold sweat from her nightmares. During classes, she would simply sit there and do nothing. One of her teachers noticed and commented on it. She shrugged her shoulders and gave a half-assed excuse about not getting enough sleep, which wasn't a complete lie.

Her mental state wasn't the only thing suffering though. Her physical state was failing apart as well. She stopped eating the same way she use to. The only thing she could hold down was crackers and water, but even then, she felt like vomiting it all up. She would find herself having dizzy spells from the lack of nutrition, and her limbs would normally feel stiff. She was beginning to find it hard to force herself out of bed in the morning.

Not only did she have to deal with her inner struggles, she also had to deal with the fear of being discovered. She heard that the school board was looking into the party that night. From the rumors flying around school, it seemed like they were getting closer to figuring out what went down there. She overheard a girl in her P.E. class saying that if anyone was busted for being there that they might get expelled. That did not help calm Chapin down.

Aside from the rumors about the school board, students were gossiping about Stacey's death. Many people blew it off as a suicide. They thought she got stoned and jumped. Some people were creative with their theories, saying stuff like she took acid and chased figments all the way to the bridge.

Chapin would have laughed at the ridiculous ideas, but her knowledge of the truth kept her from saying anything to other people. When she was asked by a girl in English class about what she thought happened, Chapin told her that she didn't want to talk about it.

So, as she sat in the middle of study hall, Chapin zoned out, trying to forget all the world around her and her problems. That was what her life had become. Simply trying to forget.

As she continued with her internal battle, the overhead intercom came on.

"The following students are to report to Headmaster Blake's office: Sarah Dylan, Mallory Silvers, Ashley Cuevas, Taylor Collins, Jessica Roberts, Chapin Wright."

Chapin felt her body tense up as she heard her name. She stood up from the table, trying to avoid the curious stares from her classmates. As she made her way up to the office, she thought about all the possible reasons for being called up there.

"_Maybe they just want to ask us some questions?_" Chapin thought as she came close to the office. "_It means nothing_."

She pushed open the door to the main office and saw the five other girls sitting beside each other in the chairs. She took a seat across from them, not once looking any of them in the eyes.

A few minutes passed before Headmaster Blake came out of his office. He was an older man. He had short, black hair and wore a nice suit. Chapin normally never ended up in his office since she was a relatively good student, but she heard he could be very intimidating.

"Ladies," Headmaster Blake addressed them, "follow me."

They all stood up nervously and followed him into his office. Six chairs were neatly placed in front of his desk. He gestured towards the chairs, and they took a seat.

He watched them in silence for a few momenta before speaking.

"I have been informed that you six were the last ones to be seen with Stacey on the night of the party."

None of them said anything. He sighed deeply in frustration.

"Listen girls, if you tell me what happened, we can resolve this issue in a mature way, but if you don't, I will have to investigate further with more people, like the police. We don't want to do that, now do we?"

It was Sarah who cracked first.

"We were at a party." She blurted out.

"Sarah!" Taylor exclaimed and gave a look of shock.

"Things got out of control with the ga-"

"Alcohol!" Chapin interrupted. "Things got so out of hand with the alcohol."

He looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue, so she did.

"Everything was so hazy. When we got to the bridge, the others went down to the bank. Stacey and I stayed up by the railing. We talked about some stuff, and she started sounding sad." Chapin stopped talking for a moment, partly for dramatic effect and partly to gather up her thoughts.

"I made some off the wall comment about jumping. A joke, you know? I didn't know she was going to take it seriously." She felt her throat become constricted, and she gave the headmaster a solemn look.

"I shouldn't have said anything. It was all my fault." The other girls knew the hidden meaning behind her words, but they didn't call her on it.

Headmaster Blake gave her a sympathetic look, which made her feel worse. She didn't deserve his sympathy.

"Why didn't you tell the cops when this happened?" He asked gently.

"We all thought she was playing a joke on us." Chapin told him, avoiding his gaze. "She was a real prankster. Then the cops confirmed that she was dead, and we got scared. We thought everyone would think it was our fault."

Chapin finally looked at the other girls. They realized what she was doing. She was making an outlet for herself, and in turn, them as well. She was placing the blame on her, but not enough to incriminate herself, and in a twisted way, she was _kind of_ telling the truth. Taking all of that into consideration, none of the them spoke up, and they took the outlet with bitter gratitude.

"Girls, this isn't your fault." Headmaster Blake said. "Stacey wasn't in her right mind. You couldn't have stopped her."

He paused for a second before continuing.

"But I cannot tolerate any of my students drinking and being involved in such behaviors. I will have to call a meeting of the school board to address your punishment. Until then, you will be suspended. You can wait outside while I call your parents to come get you."

The girls nodded their heads and left the office.

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you thinking?" Valerie Wright shouted as the strolled out of the entrance of Scared Heart. Chapin faltered under her mom's heated glare as she followed closely behind her.<p>

"I-It was just a few drinks." Her mom glowered at her as she tugged open the passenger door of the vehicle and told her to get in. Chapin did as she was told. When her mom finally got into the vehicle with her, she gave a deep sigh.

"The Headmaster told me everything you said." Her tone was gentler, and her eyes were filled with pain. Chapin bowed her head in shame.

"I didn't mean for her to..." She cut herself short, unable to finish that sentence. Tears formed in her eyes.

Her mom shoved the keys into the ignition and twisted it. She sat there for a few moments before speaking.

"When we get home, I want you to go to your bedroom and rest. You need it. The board meeting is on Saturday, and I want you to be prepared."

"I'm sorry." Chapin whispered and looked up at her. She felt tears slide down her cheeks. Her mom reached out and wiped them away.

"I know you are sweetie." She replied sadly. "I know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Well, that's the first installment in the "Choices." If you don't already know this, the story is based off the movie _Triple Dog_.**

**I honestly don't know how long it will take me to finish it. The goal is to try and have it done before the end of the year, but I don't know. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. **


	2. Chapter 2

**December 20, 2008**

_**"The board has come to the decision that the six students involved in underage drinking, which is assumed to be consumed at an illegal after school party, shall be expelled from Scared Heart Catholic School."**_

The fallen, defeated look on her parents' faces when those words were spoken had been etched across her mind. It was one of complete disappointment. They were upset at her, and rightfully so she might add. She had basically destroyed her academic career. Scared Heart was one of the most well known schools in the state, and it had an even higher statistic of having its students attend very prestigious colleges and universities. Her parents had worked so hard to get her into the school and even harder to pay her tuition. They were completely justified in being disappointed in her.

"_Why don't I care then?_" Chapin thought to herself as she laid in her bed.

Maybe it was a delayed feeling of realization, but Chapin couldn't find it in herself to be ashamed. She could find _anything_ at all. It was as if she was emotionally vacant To the things around her. Even on the silent car ride back home from the board meeting, she couldn't feel the slightest amount of remorse for getting expelled. It was only a school after all. There were a million other ones to choose from.

What she did feel sorry for was what had caused her to get expelled- not that half-assed excuse about drinking that she gave to the principal. She meant what had put her in that position in the first place.

Stacey.

Even thinking her name would cause Chapin's stomach to churn. The gorgeous, brunette girl was no longer the intimidating, star athlete that many of the students at Scared Heart feared. She wasn't someone's girlfriend or best friend anymore. She wasn't an honor roll student anymore. No. She wasn't any of those things anymore, because she was dead.

"Chapin?" A light knocking came from her bedroom door. It creaked opened. She didn't turn over to see who had entered. She already knew who it was.

"_I should have locked the door._" Chapin thought.

"I wanted to tell you that dinner is ready." Her dad told her as he sat down next to her on the bed. She didn't give him any sign of recognition. He let out a deep sigh.

"You've barely eaten anything in about a week."

"_Because I can't._" She mentally responded. He didn't know how bad she wanted to go downstairs and eat. She really wanted to do that, but she couldn't. The inevitable pain of vomiting it all up kept her from eating. It was torture in its finest form.

"This can't go on forever Chapin. You can't just shut the world out. It doesn't work that way."

More silence.

"Your mom and I have decided that it might be good for you to see a therapist. It's scheduled for after the New Years."

She processed what he was saying for a moment.

"I'm not going." Chapin stated.

"This isn't an option."

"_The fuck it wasn't._"

Chapin wanted to argue, but she realized it was useless. She tugged her blanket over her and turned away from him. After a few seconds, she heard her father give a deep sigh and leave.

"_Good._" She thought. "_I'd rather be alone anyway._"


End file.
